Two suitors line up to buy Coolbaugh Learning Center

One of three Pocono Mountain School District buildings for sale drew closer to a deal at Wednesday night's board meeting.

JENNA EBERSOLE

One of three Pocono Mountain School District buildings for sale drew closer to a deal at Wednesday night's board meeting.

Two prospective buyers have made full-price offers on the Coolbaugh Learning Center — one a dog-treat distributor that could bring jobs to the area and another a church in Sciota. Church representatives attended the meeting.

District real estate broker Dan Perich recommended the district ask both entities to come back with their highest and "cleanest" offer before next week's board meeting. The board approved the recommendation.

Perich said cleaner offers, with fewer conditions such as shorter due diligence periods, could potentially be more appealing than more cash alone.

A previous deal for a possible daycare center fell through after the potential buyer investigated and found renovations to bring the building to code and Americans with Disabilities Act standards were cost prohibitive.

Perich said one advantage with the warehouse distributor is that the building would remain on the tax rolls, versus a church, which would be a nonprofit.

Senior Pastor Phillip Davis of the Greater Shiloh Church said the Sciota location is a northern extension of an older, original Easton location. The church has about 225 to 250 attendees who meet in Sciota, he said.

"We've outgrown the space," he said.

A deal on the Barrett Learning Center is pending successful completion of a sewage percolation test, while the Coolbaugh Elementary Center is not under contract.

In other business, school board members approved a preliminary budget that lowers taxes by two mills, with further cuts possible.

The board considered the 2014-15 budget proposal, which will continue to be under review until early summer. Board member Ricky Smith said he has looked to identify an additional two mills to cut, but the decision will have to wait.

"The reason we don't have that in tonight is that we simply don't know how much we're going to get from the state and federal government," he said.

The two mill reduction comes from a lowered allocation to a rainy day fund. A healthier fund balance and expenditures on capital projects recently makes the higher allocation less essential, district officials have said.

The proposal includes no staff cuts or building closures. Board President Meg Dilger encouraged residents to call their state representatives to ask for more money from the state for the district.